The Effects of Silence in 'Obasan' Rihanna Donaldson 10th Grade

Violence and spoken words are less deadly than silence. The people who are weak tend to hold back as they are afraid the truth will make them uncomfortable and open wounds that cannot be healed. Communicating about feelings allows individuals to heal from past trauma, move on and be free from worry. In the novel, Obasan by Joy Kogawa, silence is used to avoid taboo subjects and to be polite. Obasan, a character in the novel, withholds information about what happened to Naomi’s mother to avoid the taboo topic, Naomi keeps her traumatic experience with Old Man Gower, and to be polite Naomi uses her doll to express her feelings. The role of silence does not play a role in how Naomi achieves peace with her past, instead it hinders her progress.

Firstly, Obasan withholds information about Naomi’s mother from Naomi to protect her. “Please tell me about my mother, I would say as a child to Obasan” (Kogawa 31). The event of what happened to Naomi’s mother is seen as something that is never to be spoken about and Obasan is determined to keep the truth from Naomi to keep her from being heartbroken. Later in the novel, it is discovered that Naomi’s mother asks to spare both Naomi and her brother the truth. “She specifically requested that...